Shloka 11
दमप्रशंसा — Praise of Self-Restraint
Dama
शुक्रतो रसतश्रैव देहाज्जायन्ति जन्तव: । स्वभावात् कर्मयोगाद् वा तानुपेक्षेत बुद्धिमान्
śukrato rasataś caiva dehāj jāyanti jantavaḥ | svabhāvāt karmayogād vā tān upekṣeta buddhimān ||
Makhluk hidup muncul dari tubuh—sebagian dari semen dan sebagian dari cairan tubuh seperti keringat. Kelahiran mereka berlangsung karena kodrat bawaan atau karena pertautan karma (sesuai takdir yang bekerja). Karena itu, orang bijak hendaknya bersikap lepas dan tidak terseret ke dalam urusan mereka.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches dispassion: since beings arise through natural processes and the working out of karma, the wise should not become mentally entangled—maintaining equanimity and non-attachment (upekṣā) toward such occurrences.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he frames the arising of living beings as a natural/karma-driven process and advises the listener to respond with detached discernment rather than fixation or anxiety.